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Left-wing Labour MP Chris Williamson has suffered more than most from ‘thuggish’ Ian Austin’s bullying. He is less than devastated by the right-winger’s departure from the Labour Party Labour MP Chris Williamson has plenty of experience of Ian Austin’s behaviour.…

‘Thuggish’ MP Ian Austin has quit the Labour Party blaming antisemitism. Yet his behaviour to a Jewish guest advising Parliament on antisemitism was described as a ‘full frontal assault’ by the shocked author This article was originally published in July…

After the 2008 financial crisis, the Irish government resolved to cut billions from state services in line with the austerity programme imposed by the EU and IMF. Government departments were downsized, the welfare system hollowed out, and public sector wages…

Austin announces departure – two days after actually quitting – but says has not spoken to Monday’s group of quitters As the SKWAWKBOX (via the excellent Zelo Street blog) reported on Wednesday, Ian Austin has left the Labour Party –…

Dudley North MP Ian Austin has given the Express and Star an alleged exclusive this morning. As the paper’s Twitter feed tells, “BREAKING: Dudley North MP @IanAustinMP today confirmed he is quitting The Labour Party. He has become the ninth…

The BBC has recently run an interesting piece about the relationship between class sizes and teachers’ salaries, based upon some OECD data. The article headed ‘when class sizes fall so does teachers’ pay’ is an interesting thesis. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-47281532 However, how…

Writer Josh Barry has cerebral palsy and has spent the past nine years writing a book about his life with his nose. Because of his limited mobility and speech he previously used an array of switches connected to a computer…

A Salute to the School Strikers – from an Extinction Rebellion activist and father. You’ll have noticed that there’s never any shortage of grown-ups who are eager to tell you their opinions about whatever you happen to be doing. That’s…

I was asked by an informed commentator what my predictions for the UK economy might be yesterday. The predictions were requested to cover the political as well as economic spheres. The discussion took place for 90 minutes. I will not…

It seems to me that whilst domestic politics continues to be focused on matters European and the right-wing's eye is off the ball, there's definitely a head of steam building in relation to at last doing something about the size…

Good but struggling with high caseloads Inspectors found that senior leaders of the North West division of the National Probation Service (NPS) had a clear vision and strategy for high-quality services, but not enough staff to deliver them in an…

A Northumberland independent – but Tory-supporting – councillor has outraged locals with a comment allegedly implying Jewish people are more deserving of abuse Cllr Malcolm Robinson Malcolm Robinson sits as a ‘Bedlington Independent’ councillor in the Northumberland ward of Bedlington…

With many thanks to Benefits And Work. The DWP has widened the scope of its project to check whether more claimants who were moved from incapacity benefit to ESA were given the wrong award and are due back payments. Originally,…

People with mental health issues can face discrimination when trying to rent privately, the Chartered Institute of Housing Cymru (CIH) has warned. It wants better mental health information for landlords and for compulsory awareness training courses. The Residential Landlords Association…

With many thanks to Benefits And Work. The family of a woman who died after being refused PIP following a Capita assessment have received £10,000 in compensation for maladministration, the BBC reported today. Victoria Smith died last July, weeks after…

Why should I? – is a common answer to the suggestion – have you ever thought about writing down how you feel, and why? Even when you go on to explain; keeping a record of your thoughts, feelings and emotions…

What we are seeing isn’t the launch of a new politics, it’s the old one sailing off in a lifeboat. Floating towards an empty horizon, the Independent Group has no idea where it is going or what forces are pushing…

The DWP has widened the scope of its project to check whether more claimants who were moved from incapacity benefit to ESA were given the wrong award and are due back payments. Originally, the DWP were planning to check the…

The family of a woman who died after being refused PIP following a Capita assessment have received £10,000 in compensation for maladministration, the BBC reported today. Victoria Smith died last July, weeks after having her PIP award stopped. The decision…